This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/277,633 filed Mar. 22, 2001, and Provisional Application No. 60/304,411 filed Jul. 12, 2001, the disclosure of which are herein incorporated by reference.
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to fire resistant fenestration for use in buildings and other structures and also to fire resistant fenestration capable of withstanding seismic loadings.
2. Description of Related Art
Fenestration includes windows, multiple window strips, curtain walls, store fronts, entrances, sloped glazing and the like. Fenestration comprises a frame of at least one piece, which holds at least one panel, or a supporting grid frame having multiple vertical and horizontal members to hold multiple panels. The frames and panels can have an endless variety of shapes, forms and sizes. Panels may be made of glass, metal, marble, granite, composite or the like. Currently, some types of glass and other facing panels can be provided in a fire resistant rated panel. Frames for use in curtain walls are currently made of metal, plastic or wood, but all the currently available frames do not have any fire resistance. In particular, aluminum frames for use in curtain walls are currently not provided with fire resistance.
Fire in a multiple story building can be devastating. Fenestration and in particular curtain walls do not resist or contain fire. Rather, the fenestration is usually destroyed by fire, and flames can spread from one floor to an adjacent upper floor from the outside of the building through the destroyed exterior skin of the curtain wall or other fenestration. Therefore, the fire on the floor where the fire originated usually destroys the fenestration directly above that floor and spreads to the adjacent upper floor, and so on throughout the building.
New advances in resin composite materials technology have resulted in a new light-weight, high strength material with unique fire resistant properties. Materials such as Moldite™, manufactured by Moldite Technologies of Novi, Michigan are one such product.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,381,637; 5,355,654; and 5,579,616 describe curtain wall systems and panel securing systems for creating the exterior surface of a multiple story building. The disclosures of the above-identified patents are herein incorporated by reference.